Medicines Safety
April 2026 – UPDATE
NHS Central East Integrated Care Board (ICB) was formed on 1 April 2026 and is the successor ICB to NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB, NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB and the Hertfordshire part of NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB. NHS Central East ICB had transferred to it the property, rights and liabilities of the predecessor organisations.
The actions and decisions of the predecessor organisation, including relevant clinical commissioning policies, relevant prescribing decisions and recommendations and relevant clinical pathways continue in effect. There are differences in places between some clinical commissioning policies, prescribing recommendations and pathways from the predecessor ICBs.
Clinical policies transferred to NHS Central East ICB from each of the relevant predecessor ICBs remain applicable to each part of the population for who they were originally created. These different policies will continue to apply to the relevant populations unless or until any new policy is adopted by the NHS Central East ICB (after public involvement if required).
We are in the process of developing a new NHS Central East ICB website for clinical commissioning policies, pathways and prescribing information. During this transition period, clinicians, providers, patients and the public can continue to access all legacy policies, prescribing recommendations, and pathways via the legacy ICB websites. Where legacy policies are superseded by new NHS Central East ICB policies, this will be clearly indicated on the relevant legacy policy and published on the new Central East website in advance of implementation.
If you have any questions or concerns do continue to contact your local teams at:
Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB ifr.hweicb@nhs.net
Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB Blmkicb.ifrservice@nhs.net
Cambridge and Peterborough ICB cpicb.clinpolicies@nhs.net
Why does Medicines Safety matter?
Medication has a huge potential to do good, but errors can occur at many points in the medication cycle – prescribing, dispensing, administering, monitoring and use. Medication errors (often preventable) can lead to adverse outcomes such as patient harm, prolonged hospital stay, and increased financial burden to the NHS.
How are the BLMK ICB medicines optimisation team addressing medicines safety?
Through collaborate working with our partners and providers, we implement, support and monitor high-quality, safe prescribing and use of medicines, including actions to reduce inappropriate prescribing, implement national alerts and assure quality in commissioned services across the integrated care system (ICS).
What actions are we taking?
- We send medicines safety related information/updates/alerts periodically within the ICS and support GP practices in implementing and monitoring progress on any actions required from safety alerts.
- We work with the ICB quality team to support the investigation of medicines-related safety incidents and develop systems and processes, as appropriate, to share learning from medicines-related safety incidents to our providers and partners and prevent them from recurring.
- We form part of the local, regional and national medicines safety officer network to share learning and implement best practice in medicines safety.
Get in touch with us at blmkicb.mso@nhs.net
Further sources of Medicines Safety Information:
